2012 NBA All-Star Game

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 26, 2012, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2011–12 season. It was the 61st edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, home of the Orlando Magic. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 152–149.[3][4] Kevin Durant was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

2012 NBA All-Star Game

1 2 3 4 Total West 39 49 36 28 152 East 28 41 43 37 149
Date	February 26, 2012
Arena	Amway Center
City	Orlando, Florida
MVP	Kevin Durant[1]
National anthem	Mary J. Blige (US); Neverest (Canadian)
Referees	#55 Bill Kennedy #31 Scott Wall #20 Leroy Richardson
Halftime show	Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Nayer, Chris Brown
Attendance	17,125[2]
Network	TNT
Announcers	Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Mike Fratello, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal (All-Star Saturday Night) Kevin Harlan and Kenny Smith (Rising Stars Challenge)
West East
NBA All-Star Game
< 2011 2013 >

The Orlando Magic were awarded the All-Star Game in an announcement by commissioner David Stern on May 4, 2010. This was also the second time that Orlando has hosted the All-Star Game; the city had previously hosted the event in 1992 in the Orlando Arena, the Magic's previous home arena.[5] This game also marked the first time an Eastern Conference city hosted an All-Star game since Atlanta in 2003.[6] Despite the 2011 NBA lockout, which reduced the regular season to sixty-six games on a condensed schedule, the All-Star Game took place as scheduled.[7]

The All-Star Weekend began on Friday, February 24, 2012 with the Celebrity Game and the Rising Stars Challenge, a game featuring the league's best rookies and second-year players. On Saturday, the event continued with the All-Star Saturday Night, which featured the Shooting Stars Competition, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest. The D-League All-Star Game and the D-League Dream Factory, which includes the Slam Dunk Contest, Three-Point Shootout and Shooting Stars Competition, also took place during the All-Star Weekend. Both events were held on Saturday before the NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

All-Star Game

Coaches

Scott Brooks (left) and Tom Thibodeau (right) were selected as the West and East head coach, respectively.

The coaches for the All-Star game are the head coaches who led the teams with the best winning percentages in their conference through the games of February 15, 2012. The head coaches from the previous year, Doc Rivers and Gregg Popovich were not eligible for selection.

The coach for the Western Conference team was Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.[8] The Thunder had a 22–7 record on February 15, the best record in the Western Conference. The coach for the Eastern Conference team was Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.[9] The Bulls had a 23–7 record on February 15, the best record in the Eastern Conference and in the league. This was the first All-Star Game selection for both Brooks and Thibodeau.

Players

Dwight Howard received the most votes by fans, to be the leading vote-getter.

The rosters for the All-Star Game were chosen in two ways. The starters were chosen via a fan ballot. Two guards, two forwards and one center who received the highest vote were named the All-Star starters. The reserves were chosen by votes among the NBA head coaches in their respective conferences. The coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players. The reserves consist of two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. If a player is unable to participate due to injury, the commissioner will select a replacement.

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic topped the ballots with 1,600,390 votes, which earned him a starting position as a center in the Eastern Conference team. Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony completed the Eastern Conference starting position.[10] Howard, Rose, Wade and James were starters for the previous year's Eastern Conference team, while Anthony started for the Western Conference team. The Eastern Conference reserves includes three first-time selections, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, and Roy Hibbert.[11] Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson suffered an injury and was replaced by Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo.[12] The Miami Heat is represented by three players, Wade, James and Chris Bosh, while the Chicago Bulls and the Celtics are represented by two players each.

The Western Conference's leading vote-getter was Kobe Bryant, who earned his fourteenth consecutive All-Star Game selection with 1,555,479 votes. Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Andrew Bynum completed the Western Conference starting positions.[10] Bryant, Paul and Durant were starters for the previous year's Western Conference team. Griffin became an All-Star Game starter for the first time after he was selected as a reserve in last year's game. Bynum received 1,051,945 votes to earn his first All-Star Game selection and a starting position at center. Bryant/Bynum and Paul/Griffin became the first two pair of teammates who were voted to start for one conference since the 1997 game.[10] The Western Conference reserves include two other first-time selections, LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol.[11] Both Los Angeles teams, the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers, are represented by two players each, all of them are starters. Durant, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, is the only Western Conference starter that does not play in either teams of Los Angeles. The Thunder is also represented by two players, Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Roster

Western Conference All-Stars[13] Pos Player Team No. of selections Votes Starters G Chris Paul Los Angeles Clippers 5th 1,138,743 G Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 14th 1,555,479 F Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder 3rd 1,345,566 F Blake Griffin Los Angeles Clippers 2nd 1,200,560 C Andrew Bynum Los Angeles Lakers 1st 1,051,945 Reserves F LaMarcus Aldridge Portland Trail Blazers 1st — C Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies 1st — F Kevin Love Minnesota Timberwolves 2nd — G Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 8th — F Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 11th — G Tony Parker San Antonio Spurs 4th — G Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 2nd — Head coach: Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Eastern Conference All-Stars[13] Pos Player Team No. of selections Votes Starters G Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls 3rd 1,514,723 G Dwyane Wade Miami Heat 8th 1,334,223 F LeBron James Miami Heat 8th 1,360,680 F Carmelo Anthony New York Knicks 5th 1,041,290 C Dwight Howard Orlando Magic 6th 1,600,390 Reserves F Chris Bosh Miami Heat 7th — F Luol Deng Chicago Bulls 1st — C Roy Hibbert Indiana Pacers 1st — F/G Andre Iguodala Philadelphia 76ers 1st — G Joe Johnson^INJ Atlanta Hawks 6th — F Paul Pierce Boston Celtics 10th — G Rajon Rondo^REP Boston Celtics 3rd — G Deron Williams New Jersey Nets 3rd — Head coach: Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls)

^INJ Joe Johnson was unable to participate due to injury.[12]
^REP Rajon Rondo was named as Joe Johnson's replacement.[12]

Game

TNT

February 26, 2012 7:30 p.m. ET

Boxscore

Western Conference 152, Eastern Conference 149
Scoring by quarter: 39–28, 49–41, 36–43, 28–37
Pts: Kevin Durant 36 Rebs: Blake Griffin 8 Asts: Chris Paul 12		Pts: LeBron James 36 Rebs: Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade 10 each Asts: Dwyane Wade 10

Amway Center, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,125 Referees: #55 Bill Kennedy #31 Scott Wall #20 Leroy Richardson

The West led by as many as 21 points and held on to win the game, 152–149. Kevin Durant scored 34 of his game-high 36 points in the first three quarters and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. LeBron James also scored 36. The West's lead was reduced to one point at 148–147 after a Deron Williams' steal and layup with 1:44 remaining. Leading 151–149, Blake Griffin secured the victory with a steal of a James' pass. Griffin was fouled and made one of two free throws with 1.1 seconds left.[14] Kobe Bryant was guarding James on the pass and chastised James for not attempting a shot.[15][16] Bryant left the game earlier in the third quarter after he was bloodied from a hard foul to his face by Dwyane Wade.[14][17] He was diagnosed after the game with a broken nose and a concussion.[18]

Bryant finished with 27 points and became the leading scorer in All-Star history (271), passing Michael Jordan (262). Wade had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, joining James and Jordan as the only players to record a triple-double in the All-Star game.[14] The West set an All-Star record with 88 first-half points, and the teams' 157 combined points at the half was also a record. The 301 combined points at the end of the game were two shy of the record set (in overtime) in the 1987 NBA All-Star Game. The East made 14 three-point field goals, another record.[14]

All-Star Weekend

BBVA Rising Stars Challenge

The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge featured the best first-year players ('Rookies') and the best second-year players ('Sophomores') going at each other. The game was divided into two twenty-minute halves, similar to college basketball. For this edition of the Rising Stars Challenge, a pool of the participating players was selected by the league's assistant coaches. Then, the teams were drafted by former NBA players and current TNT analysts Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, who serve as "General Managers" for their respective teams.[19] Former NBA player and current TNT analyst Kenny Smith served as the "Honorary Commissioner" for the Rising Stars Challenge. Sophomore Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks and rookie Norris Cole of the Miami Heat were two last-minute additions to the player pool.[20][21] Sophomore Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz was selected as an injury replacement for Tiago Splitter.[22] Lin played only nine minutes in the game, at his request, due to exhaustion from his rise to stardom that month.[23]

Team Shaq[24] Round Pick Pos. Player Team Rookie / Sophomore 1 1 F Blake Griffin Los Angeles Clippers Sophomore 2 3 G Jeremy Lin New York Knicks Sophomore 3 5 G Ricky Rubio Minnesota Timberwolves Rookie 4 7 F/C Greg Monroe Detroit Pistons Sophomore 5 9 F Markieff Morris Phoenix Suns Rookie 6 11 G Kemba Walker Charlotte Bobcats Rookie 7 13 G Landry Fields New York Knicks Sophomore 8 15 G Norris Cole Miami Heat Rookie Draw G Brandon Knight Detroit Pistons Rookie Draw F Tristan Thompson Cleveland Cavaliers Rookie Co-head coach: Ron Adams (Chicago Bulls) Co-head coach: Steve Kerr General manager: Shaquille O'Neal

Team Chuck[24] Round Pick Pos. Player Team Rookie / Sophomore 1 2 G Kyrie Irving Cleveland Cavaliers Rookie 2 4 C DeMarcus Cousins Sacramento Kings Sophomore 3 6 G/F Paul George Indiana Pacers Sophomore 4 8 F Derrick Williams Minnesota Timberwolves Rookie 5 10 G/F MarShon Brooks New Jersey Nets Rookie 6 12 G John Wall Washington Wizards Sophomore 7 14 F Gordon Hayward Utah Jazz Sophomore 8 16 F/C Tiago Splitter^INJ San Antonio Spurs Sophomore Draw F Kawhi Leonard^DNP San Antonio Spurs Rookie Draw G/F Evan Turner Philadelphia 76ers Sophomore – F Derrick Favors^REP Utah Jazz Sophomore Co-head coach: Maurice Cheeks (Oklahoma City Thunder) Co-head coach: Mike Fratello General manager: Charles Barkley

^INJ Tiago Splitter was unable to participate due to injury.[22]
^REP Derrick Favors was named Tiago Splitter's replacement.[22]
^DNP Kawhi Leonard did not play due to injury.[25]

TNT

February 24 9:00 p.m. ET

Boxscore

Team Shaq 133, Team Chuck 146
Scoring by half: 65–77, 68–69
Pts: Tristan Thompson 20 Rebs: Greg Monroe 10 Asts: Kemba Walker 10		Pts: Kyrie Irving 34 Rebs: Cousins, Turner 11 each Asts: Kyrie Irving 9

Amway Center, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,125 Referees: #75 Eric Dalen #68 Marat Kogut #35 Kane Fitzgerald

Kyrie Irving, who scored 34 points on 8/8 three-point shooting, won the MVP award of the Rising Stars Challenge.

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

Contestants

Pos.	Player	Team	Height	Weight	Pct
F	Chase Budinger	Houston Rockets	6–7	218	28%
F	Jeremy Evans^REP	Utah Jazz	6–9	194	29%
G/F	Paul George	Indiana Pacers	6–8	215
F	Derrick Williams	Minnesota Timberwolves	6–8	241
G	Iman Shumpert^INJ	New York Knicks	6–5	220

^INJ Iman Shumpert was unable to participate due to injury.[26]
^REP Jeremy Evans was named Iman Shumpert's replacement.[26]

Foot Locker Three-Point Contest

Contestants

Pos.	Player	Team	Height	Weight	First round	Tiebreaker (24 seconds)	Final round	Tiebreaker (60 seconds)
F	Kevin Love	Minnesota Timberwolves	6–10	260	18	5	16	17
F	Kevin Durant^REP	Oklahoma City Thunder	6–9	235	20	—	16	14
F	James Jones	Miami Heat	6–8	215	22	—	12	—
G	Mario Chalmers	Miami Heat	6–2	190	18	4	—
F	Ryan Anderson	Orlando Magic	6–10	240	17	—
G	Anthony Morrow	New Jersey Nets	6–5	210	14	—
G	Joe Johnson^INJ	Atlanta Hawks	6–7	240	—

^INJ Joe Johnson was unable to participate due to injury.[12]
^REP Kevin Durant was named as Joe Johnson's replacement.[12]

Taco Bell Skills Challenge

Contestants

Pos.	Player	Team	Height	Weight	First round	Final round
G	Tony Parker	San Antonio Spurs	6–2	180	29.2	32.8
G	Rajon Rondo^REP	Boston Celtics	6–1	186	32.8	34.6
G	Deron Williams	New Jersey Nets	6–3	209	28.3	41.4
G	John Wall	Washington Wizards	6–4	195	32.8	—
G	Russell Westbrook	Oklahoma City Thunder	6–3	187	33.8	—
G	Kyrie Irving	Cleveland Cavaliers	6–3	191	42.2	—
G	Stephen Curry^INJ	Golden State Warriors	6–3	185	—

^INJ Stephen Curry was unable to participate due to injury.[27]
^REP Rajon Rondo was named as Curry's replacement.[27]

Haier Shooting Stars Competition

Contestants

City/State	Members	Team	First round	Final round
New York	Landry Fields	New York Knicks	38.7	37.3
	Cappie Pondexter	New York Liberty
	Allan Houston	New York Knicks (retired)
Texas	Chandler Parsons	Houston Rockets	42.7	47.6
	Sophia Young	San Antonio Silver Stars
	Kenny Smith	Houston Rockets (retired)
Atlanta	Jerry Stackhouse^REP	Atlanta Hawks	55.3	—
	Lindsey Harding	Atlanta Dream
	Steve Smith	Atlanta Hawks (retired)
	Joe Johnson^INJ	Atlanta Hawks
Orlando	Jameer Nelson	Orlando Magic	1:04	—
	Marie Ferdinand-Harris	Phoenix Mercury
	Dennis Scott	Orlando Magic (retired)

^INJ Joe Johnson was unable to participate due to injury.[27]
^REP Jerry Stackhouse was named as Joe Johnson's replacement.[27]

References

1. "West holds off East in NBA All-Star Game". Chicago Tribune. February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
2. "2012 NBA All-Star Game Box Score". Basketball Reference. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
3. "Possible NBA Finals preview on display". ESPN. February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
4. "West best in All-Star Game". Toronto Sun. February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
5. "Orlando to Host NBA All-Star 2012". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 4, 2010. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
6. "All-Star Game: Year-by-Year Results". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
7. Beck, Howard (November 28, 2011). "Two Exhibition Games for N.B.A. Teams". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
8. "Thunder's Brooks earns spot as West coach for All-Star Game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 11, 2012. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
9. "Bulls' Thibodeau to coach East in All-Star Game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
10. "Howard top vote-getter in 2012 All-Star balloting". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 2, 2012. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
11. "Pierce, Nowitzki headline reserves for 2012 All-Star Game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 9, 2012. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
12. "Hawks' Johnson (knee) to sit out All-Star weekend". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
13. "All-Star 2012 Roster". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
14. Aschburner, Steve (February 27, 2012). "Stars come through to finish 2012 All-Star game with a bang". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012.
15. Shelburne, Ramona (March 3, 2012). "It's Kobe vs. D-Wade (not LeBron)". ESPNLos Angeles.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012.
16. Moore, Matt (March 10, 2012). "Heat 93, Pacers 91: LeBron is clutch, then not clutch, clutch enough?". CBSSports.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012.
17. Mahoney, Brian (February 27, 2012). "Bryant, West hold on to win NBA All-Star game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012.
18. McMenamin, Dave (March 1, 2012). "Kobe Bryant: 'All good' with Wade". ESPNLosAngeles.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012.
19. "Barkley, Shaq to draft teams for BBVA Rising Stars Challenge". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
20. "Lin, Cole added to Rising Stars rosters". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 16, 2012. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
21. Morre, Matt (February 16, 2012). "NBA holds Rising Stars draft for rookies, sophs". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
22. "Favors replaces injured Splitter in Rising Stars Challenge". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 21, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
23. Beck, Howard (February 24, 2012). "Lin, a Rising Star, Needs a Break". The New York Times.
24. BBVA Rising Stars Draft. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
25. "Spurs forward Leonard out for Rising Stars game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 24, 2012. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
26. "Jazz's Evans to replace Knicks' Shumpert in Sprite Slam Dunk". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
27. "Rondo, Stackhouse added as replacements to All-Star events". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.

External links

• 2012 All-Star Game at NBA.com